Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Gluten Free Challenge

If you're a regular reader of this blog you're probably already doing this challenge (by eating gluten free), but this is a great idea to pass along to your loved ones or the curious friend who asks "Really, how hard is it to eat gluten free?"
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PAMELA'S PRODUCTS PARTNERS WITH THE GLUTEN INTOLERANCE GROUP (GIG) TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT CELIAC DISEASE AND GLUTEN INTOLERANCE

WHAT: To raise awareness for Celiac Disease (a digestive disease that can lead to malnutrition if not treated) as well as more expansive gluten intolerance, the public is invited to participate in a Gluten-free Challenge--to eat one gluten-free thing a day for a month and on the final weekend, eat completely gluten-free for one weekend.

Celiac Disease affects 1 in 100 Americans. The only cure is to adhere to a gluten-free diet. The goal of the Gluten-free Challenge is to bring family and friends to the dinner table to see that you can still enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal as a family--whether it be a regular meal or a holiday event. The Challenge will also empower people to learn more about this easily treatable disease and help bring awareness to the choices faced by those who adhere to a Gluten-free diet face.

WHEN:

April 1: Registration begins for the Challenge
April 21-May 21: Registrants will receive a daily 'Tip of the Day' and 'Recipe of the Day' email to encourage daily experimenting and to prepare for the Gluten-free Challenge Weekend
May 22-23: Gluten-free Challenge Weekend
May 29-30 (bonus): Visit a participating restaurant in the gluten-free "Chef to Plate" program

WHERE: Nationally

WHO: Everyone

SIGN-UP: http://www.gogfchallenge.com/
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Two of my friends, Martha and Rochelle, recently asked me how hard it is to go gluten free. For Martha it seemed to present a problem -- she loves her english muffins and, as she lives in D.C., I couldn't recommend an adequate substitute. Rochelle on the other hand has found it much easier to adjust to the gluten free diet. Perhaps it is because Rochelle lives in Los Angeles and eating gluten free is simpler here (everybody here has weird eating issues) or it may be that Rochelle is not as attuned as we Celiacs are to every hidden source of gluten. I only mention the latter since she won't get sick from a little gluten; that's a dead giveaway for us that we've had some. Wouldn't life be easier if we could eat whatever we wanted?

Anyway, this challenge is a great way to share your eating lifestyle with your family and friends.

How to Cater a Gluten Free Party:It all begins with designing the menu. An extensive number of GF products are now available and preparing GF items from scratch (as we do at Pear Tree Catering) simply means knowing what products qualify as GF and using those products to prepare your menu items. Fresh is always the secret in any kind of catering of food and if you start with the right fresh ingredients you will never go wrong.